From Angola to Nigeria: Lean practitioner sets new standard in cost optimization

Anuoluwapo Popoola has established a track record that few in the oil services industry can match. Now serving as Cost & Quality Transformation Champion at Schlumberger's Port-Harcourt, Nigeria operations, Popoola has once again exceeded the challenging objective of saving over 1% of location revenue, this time from a $60 million USD annual base, while surpassing service delivery and asset utilization targets by an impressive 15% in 2015.

"Cost optimization isn't a one-time achievement; it's a continuous mindset," Popoola reflects on the approach that has defined a career spanning multiple countries and operations.

This philosophy has driven results that extend far beyond spreadsheet calculations into tangible operational improvements that affect daily work across entire facilities.

At the Port-Harcourt location, Popoola supervised a comprehensive restructuring of the base layout, resulting in a 50% reduction in footsteps, validated through rigorous spaghetti diagram analysis.

This dramatic improvement in physical efficiency represents more than just shorter walking distances—it reflects a fundamental rethinking of how work should be organized to minimize waste and maximize productivity.

Popoola's expertise in Lean methodology, earned through Six Sigma Green Belt certification, has been the foundation for driving substantial cost savings while simultaneously enhancing overall productivity and quality.

The approach involves more than applying tools; it requires understanding the interconnections among different operational elements and designing improvements that reinforce one another.

One of Popoola's most significant contributions has been spearheading the introduction of Lean principles to field operations, traditionally an area where systematic process improvement has been challenging to implement.

By fostering a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence among field teams, Popoola has extended efficiency gains beyond the controlled environment of base operations into the more variable world of customer-facing service delivery.

The initiatives led by Popoola have focused on reducing variances and eliminating waste in both field and maintenance systems, addressing quality and productivity as complementary rather than competing objectives.

This integrated approach has resulted in measurable improvements across multiple metrics, demonstrating that properly implemented Lean principles can transform operations at scale.

Popoola's work has also ensured stringent adherence to location-global quality management systems, leading to measurable improvements in service delivery and overall efficiency.

This attention to standardization and compliance, combined with aggressive process optimization, strikes the right balance for sustainable operational excellence in highly regulated industries.

With experience spanning operations in Angola and Nigeria, along with a Postgraduate Diploma in Petroleum Engineering from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Popoola brings both technical depth and practical field experience to the challenge of operational transformation.

The consistent ability to exceed financial and operational targets across different locations and contexts suggests that Popoola's methodology is both robust and adaptable, qualities essential for sustained success in the dynamic oil services sector.

As Schlumberger and other major service providers continue to face pressure to deliver more value at lower cost, professionals like Popoola demonstrate that the answer lies not in choosing between cost and quality, but in systematically eliminating the waste that prevents organizations from achieving both.